Around 7:00PM last night, officers from District B-3 (Mattapan) were conducting surveillance in the Talbot Ave. and Wales St. due to a few recent incidents of firearm related violence in the area.
While conducting surveillance in the area, officers observed a young man who was sitting on the stairs of a house appear startled, start looking over his shoulder from side to side, jump up from his seated position and suddenly disappear out of sight. Around this same time, officers observed another male briskly walk past them to where the suspect had been sitting and walk up the stairs where the initial young man had been sitting. As officers continued to observe the second male, he pulled what appeared to be a black sock from his back pocket and extended his arms toward the stairwell and residence that the first young man had just entered. A short time later, the second male was observed descending the stairs nervously looking over his shoulders as he placed the black sock back in his pocket.

Based on their observance, officers formed the opinion that the suspect may be armed with a firearm secreted in the black sock and had possibly been intent on shooting the first young man who had fled the stairs after he obviously saw the suspect. Officers then radioed this information to other units in the area and gave them the description of the suspect and his direction of flight. Officers within a few moments observed the suspect with the black sock protruding from his back pocket as he walked from Talbot Ave. to Wales Street. Officers followed the suspect and once he became aware of officers presence was observed to pull the black sock from his rear pocket and throw it into an overgrown vacant lot. The suspect was stopped, a search of the field conducted and a loaded firearm found in a sock in the field.

Once the suspect was arrested while awaiting transport for the suspect, two individuals exited from a vehicle and confronted officers about arresting the suspect. The two suspects refused officers’ orders to back off as they appeared to be trying to free the suspect. The two other suspects were eventually arrested.

Officers then returned to the location where they had first observed the young man sitting on the stairs and he explained that while he was sitting on the stairs to his house he saw a car occupied by the three suspects drive by several times and the last time the car drove by, the first suspect got out of the car and approached him and pointed a black object at him, presumably the gun in the sock and exclaimed, “What!?” and continued to approach him. The suspect stated to officers that there was an ongoing feud between the suspects and some of his friends and further reported that the suspect fled out of the door before firing any shots at him but that he was now in fear for his life as the suspect and his friends now knew where he lived.

The first suspect with the firearm, Prescott Thompson, 21 of Dorchester was arrested and charged with Assault with Intent to Murder, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Receiving Stolen Property as the gun turned out to be a stolen gun after investigation. The second suspect, Harvey Patterson, 21 of Dorchester was arrested and charged with Witness Intimidation, Assault and Battery on a Public Employee, Assault with Intent to Murder, resisting Arrest and Disorderly Conduct. The third suspect, Taylor Sinkler, 18 of Hyde Park was arrested and charged with Assault with Intent to Murder, Witness Intimidation and Disorderly Conduct.